“It’s amazing to those fourteen civilians. It’s amazing to your teammates. And it’s amazing to me.”
Arden leaned forward, caught his face in her hands, and kissed him.
* * *
That kiss was the best of Kyle’s life. In it, he felt pure acceptance. She knew his deepest, darkest secret, his shame, and still she accepted him. He wanted her to open up, so that she knew he accepted her, too. But he couldn’t force it any more than she’d force him. God, why did they have to meet like this? He kissed her back, then pulled away.
“You’re the sweetest and the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met. Dammit, you’re so tough, and you’re so soft and vulnerable and I don’t know if I want to scream at you or hold you forever and protect you from the world. You are driving me fucking insane, Arden. I can’t…I can’t…”
She kissed him hard again. Their tongues tangled. Oh, fuck, could he really be feeling her need this strongly?
“Oh, God, Jesus, I fucking want you,” he said, his lips brushing hers between hungry kisses. “Jesus, I fucking want to feel you under me. I want to hear you scream my name and I want you to be clawing the hell out of my back when you do it. I want to be driving deep inside you until you’re squeezing around me and we fucking explode.”
She moaned into his mouth at his words and gripped him tighter. How could this feel so good and hurt so bad at the same time? “I have never in my fucking life felt like this. Tell me I’m not alone.” Was that it? The thought of falling for her if she didn’t feel the same way tore a hole in him.
She pulled on his lips with hers until she broke free. Her eyes shone like stars. “You’re not alone, Kyle. I’ve been fighting this, too. Since the moment you looked up at me, I’ve been fighting what I feel. That first second, I couldn’t fucking breathe. I had to look away before you saw it.”
His body shook. “Saw what?”
“Saw that I wasn’t bulletproof. That with one damn look, you went straight into me. That you saw me. Saw how lonely I’ve been. That I’m not made of steel.” Her eyes fluttered closed. “That I need…”
His lips brushed her throat. “Tell me what you need.” She whimpered and he kissed her neck. It took everything he had to be gentle. “Do you need me like this?”
“Kyle.” The word was a plea.
“You need someone to treat you like a woman, don’t you? Like a soft,” he kissed her under the ear, “sweet,” he moved to her cheek and brushed his lips across it, “irresistible woman.” He pulled her to him and kissed her lips like he was trying not to bruise rose petals.
“You fight everything so hard, Arden. And I get it, Iknowwhy. You’re fighting for the ones who get lost out there, who are just trying to find their way home in the big bad world. But, baby, please. Just for tonight, stop fighting. Let me show you gentleness. Take down your walls and let me love you.”
Tears escaped her closed eyes and ran down her cheeks. “What if I fall apart?”
“Then you fall apart. And I put you back together.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. I’ve got you.”
God, he never knew clothing could be light-years thick. There was an infinite amount of fabric blocking him from her, so he decided to remedy that. He pulled her sweater up over her head and laid it across the back of the couch. Arden had dressed sexy to the bone—her lacy lavender bra teased him with a peek of a darker areola underneath. Arden was lean and tight from a life of ranch work. He knew she’d be strong and fierce and give as good as she got.
She peeled back his flannel and removed it, then tugged the hem of his t-shirt up. He stopped her by grabbing her hands. He laid her down on the couch and her hair spread out in waves from her previous braids. He straddled her, then pulled off his tee while she watched. Arden’s eyes turned to molten silver as her lips parted. She ran her hands up his chest and he gasped—God how could this feel sogood?
Kyle started to undo his jeans, but this time she stopped him. “Let me,” she breathed as she reached for his crotch. Her nimble fingers quickly set him free. He swung his leg back over her and stood next to the couch. She sat up and pulled his jeans down, her face lingering inches from his cock trapped in his boxer briefs, her eyes firmly on the prize. When she reached for the elastic waistband, he again grabbed up her hands.
She laughed. “We’re just going to go back and forth, aren’t we?”
“We will if you keep fighting me. I’ll let you do what you want, but not yet. I’m going first. I want to savor this. Savoryou.” He looked her over and admired the firelight playing on her skin. “Lay back down and put your arms over your head.”
She did as he asked and when she stretched her arms over her head, her breasts rode up until the tops of her nipples peeked out from lavender lace. Dark-rose and pebbled tight with excitement. He ran his fingers lightly across the tops of her breasts just over her nipples and she arched into his touch. He fought the urge to tear off her leggings and his briefs and claim her. It had been so long for him, and no woman had ever meant as much. But he wanted to give her gentleness, to break her open slowly.
Kyle gripped the waist of her leggings and she lifted her ass to let him pull them off. He rolled them down slowly, revealing matching panties that were—yes!—soaking wet, and long, toned legs. He wrapped his hand around her foot and kissed her ankle, then made his way up, kissing her calf, then behind her knee, then the top of her thigh. He parted her legs and sat between them, then bent forward and ran his tongue along the top edge of her lacy panties. Arden’s arms came down and her fingers tangled in his hair as she moaned.
“Please, Kyle. I need more.”
He blew across her taut belly and she shivered. “I’ll give you more. I’m going to give you everything in time.”
Kyle sat back up and hooked his thumbs under her panties. Again she lifted to let him have his way. Arden giving him what he wanted made him rock-hard, almost dizzy with need. He slid her panties off and gazed at his treasure. His wildflower of the mountains. She lay open to him, wet and glistening and all his for the taking.
He touched her bud softly with the tip of his finger, barely brushing it. He made the tiniest circles as she arched her head back. “Stay still,” he whispered. “Focus on the pleasure. I want to give you back all the gentleness you gave me.” Her lips swelled and grew wetter as he touched her, circling, circling. She sighed his name. He kept up the rhythm as he added his other hand, stroking her lips around her opening. She made nothing but soft, breathy sounds. He stole a look at her face, at her closed eyes and her parted lips. Her tongue darted out and licked her top lip, then she bit the bottom one. He thought he was hard before, but that turned him to solid steel.
